YES! But How? Gift(bag) Your Calendar

You will need: a calendar, scissors, glue, hole punch, and ribbon or cord.

Remove two pictures from your calendar. The pages should be the same size. You may also want to choose pictures with similar symmetry—both centered or slightly to the right or left. This will help preserve the central focus of the pictures as you fold them.

Choose which picture you like better, and imagine the picture cut in thirds vertically. Approximately two thirds will form the front, and the remaining third will form a side. The thirds do not have to be exact. Crease that picture where you have decided to divide the front and side, then unfold. Use the fold you have made as a guide to make the exact same fold for the other picture.

Turn both pages picture side down, with the hole at the top. On both pages, fold down the top edge of the picture side about a half-inch onto the calendar side. The resulting flap will form a neat edge on the bag opening.

Repeat the same fold along the right side edge of each page. Make sure the resulting flap is the same size and on the same side of both calendar pictures. Place one page on top of the other so that the bottom picture is face down and top picture is face up. Keeping all flaps closed, slip the side flaps under the top flaps in the corners where they overlap. Glue along each side flap to attach the pages. Lay a book on the pages to keep them flat until the glue dries.

With the front picture facing up and the back lying flat against your work surface, pull the pages open so that the sides of the bag are vertical. Vertically crease the sides of the bag by pushing them inward and pressing the bag flat.

The calendar edges that have not been folded yet will be the bottom of your bag. With the bag lying flat, grab both pages and fold the bottom edges up and crease horizontally about a quarter of the way from the bottom. Open the bag and vertically cut the four corners up to the crease you just made. Turn the bag upside down and fold down the smaller flaps. Glue the larger flaps on top of them and hold for a minute to set. Cut two equal lengths of ribbon or cord, long enough for handles, plus extra. Punch equally spaced holes at the top of the bag. Thread the ribbon or cord through and tie on the inside.

More YES! But How?

:Why not avoid paper gift-wrap and make your own gift bags?

Alyssa Johnson wrote this article for What Happy Families Know, the Winter 2011 issue of YES! Magazine. Alyssa is an editorial intern at YES!